Etihad Airways will introduce the Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner on its daily service from Abu Dhabi to Chengdu, China effective 1 July 2019, replacing the Airbus A330-200 currently on the route.

Also from 1 July, the airlines’ daily service from Abu Dhabi to Shanghai will be upgraded from the Boeing 787-9 to the larger Boeing 787-10 Dreamliner.

The Boeing 787-9 to Chengdu will feature 299 seats including 28 Business Studios and 271 Economy class seats. The 787-9 will also offer more belly-hold cargo capacity.

The 787-10 service to Shanghai will be configured with 336 seats including 32 Business Studios and 304 Economy Smart. Belly-hold cargo capacity will be increased by two and a half tonnes.

Once the changes take effect, the airline will fly all 28 weekly services to China’s four main gateways – Beijing, Chengdu, Shanghai and Hong Kong – with the Boeing 787 Dreamliner.

Etihad Airways recently celebrated 10 years of flying between Abu Dhabi and China. Since 2008, the airline has carried over 4.5 million passengers between Abu Dhabi and China.